the bluesman ~ Brad Evans

phil walks into the bookshop,
picks up a mag from a shelf.

I tell a work colleague near me:
‘that guy is a hell guitarist!’

he looks at phil –

phil’s head is thin and withered-looking
his hands look tired and weak
his back is shaped like a banana
time appears not to have treated him that well.

my work colleague looks at me like I’m a fucking nut.

i tell my work colleague
to place a guitar between phil’s hands
and give him some space…

his head will snap upright
his hands will attend to the strings like they would a lover’s back

and he will sing the blues
in a style
and in a way

that only rare, gifted bastards do.